Has the Internet Turned Out How You Thought It Would?
From its mass market inaugaration roughly ten years ago has the Internet turned out the way you thought it would? Who would have thought that a 23 year old could own a website worth $1.5bn and turn down an offer for it (Facebook) Frankly I find it slightly disturbing that one website could make one single person so rich.
Comments
I do a fair amount of my shopping and research on the "net"
I like that no one has been able to "co-opt" the internet. You don't have to use Google...
you don't have to use Microsoft and it still works. It's very democratic.
The next thing is going to be finding unique ways to improve usability. Don't buy into the
nebulous Web 2.0 stuff. There's merit there but it's yet another buzzword that we'll laugh about in 10 years. Social networking is hot but frankly when you get older and you and your buddies are married with kids you don't time to be hitting up Facebook and Twitter all that much.
You want to make Billions? Find a way to improve the lives of millions of people. Become indispensible to their lives and you'll have more money than you know what to do with.
I'm kinda surprised it's stayed open and free to surf (other than ISP costs).
Web 2.0 == vaporware
And we 'ain't seen nothin' yet', just wait until the VR innertubes come around, it'll make WoW addiction look like amateur hour.
I'm not too sure about VR interfaces for whatever will follow the web, but I think it will continue to become more ubiquitous and as invisible as radio or television. It will simply do what you need it to do when you need it.
I had hoped that search engines like google would have been able to find information better but when you reach a certain level of technical query, it seems not to work nearly as well as just searching through the appropriate books. besides that, I'm pleased with it. Prices just wouldn't be as cheap without it.
I'm not too sure about VR interfaces for whatever will follow the web, but I think it will continue to become more ubiquitous and as invisible as radio or television. It will simply do what you need it to do when you need it.
I'm thinking some type of full immersion technology, similar to what is theorized in many 'cyberpunk' type novels out there, or even akin to the 'Matrix'. Obviously the technology is years if not decades away, particularly if you want full tactile response. But I can easily see people becoming addicted to the WWW/Internet/MMOs and staying 'jacked in' 24/7.
What about a 23 year old making so much money from 1 website?
Capitalism at it's finest. He's the one laughing all the way to the bank for selling something that doesn't really exist.
What about a 23 year old making so much money from 1 website?
What is the hang-up? There are all sorts of ways for someone to become obscenely rich. Does it matter that the medium was the web?
I mean if you think about it it is one of the "best" ways I can think of for a person to gain such wealth. There were no or few underlings breaking their backs and sweating the work to make him rich. It wasn't like he inherited the $$ from some grandparent despite being a slug himself.
Unless you think income or wealth should be regulated in this country (good luck with that) then there is not much there there.
P.S. I think the internet is cool. I remember trying to get to this "Web" back in '91 through Mosaic (I think). After a good bit of waiting after each followed link--each seemingly linking to a list of links--I found my way to a weather site in Chile. I thought it was cool for about 10 minutes and gave up on the "Web" for a few years. No visionary, I.
I'm thinking some type of full immersion technology, similar to what is theorized in many 'cyberpunk' type novels out there, or even akin to the 'Matrix'. Obviously the technology is years if not decades away, particularly if you want full tactile response. But I can easily see people becoming addicted to the WWW/Internet/MMOs and staying 'jacked in' 24/7.
Yeah, but we have that now, and it doesn't take a Matrix to get people permanently "jacked in". Let's start with alcohol and gambling, not to mention any kind of activity that consumes all of your waking minutes... waitaminnit... that sounds like 'work'. Talk about jacked in.
I miss the old MILNET days....
Were working on it! Open source though so not likely to get rich unless someone gins up a killer tool.